Mountain time

I spent a lot of time this week in the mountains with friends that I won't get to see much after this week. I will miss them. I will miss the mountains. Kazakhstan has mountains, but not all over. It's pretty likely that I will be living in "pancake-like terrain" so I need to learn how to not be dependent on the western horizon, especially when it comes to directions.

Anyway, I think it was weirdest saying goodbye to one friend. I don't see him much as it is, but I realized that this time I won't see him for two years. Two Years! Who will make me play frisbee golf in the woods? I won't be at the annual cabin "bash" for two years. It's not really that long, but it is sort of sad.

I'm about to leave for over a week. Here's the plan: 1) Camp council a bunch of 6th graders. 2) Go to Nebraska. 3) Go to Illinois for Burritos as Big as Your Head!

The Burritos are something Em and I have been planning since December. Yes we are driving from Nebraska to Illinois for some burritos, but we have to know... are they really as big as my head?

Idealistic Wanderlust

I sat on the roof watching some fireworks tonight and I began to think about how different my next few Fourth of Julys will be. Will I be with Americans? Will I forget? Will I have a perfectly normal day? Will I feel sad? I really don't know. And then I started to wonder about what, exactly, I expect I will have accomplished by this time next year. I will have finished the school year, I will have become familiar with Russian (Kazakh?) Will I have made any sort of difference? Probably. Will I be able to recognize that? Probably not. It's not like I will actually see if I have changed anyone's life, saved a life? Who knows. And couldn't I save a life in the US? Have I? Do I actually have to leave to change the world? I really think I do, but then, I have this craving to not be here.

But when "there" becomes "here" will I feel the same way?

A friend of mine and I were talking about wanting to stay put a few months ago, and I understand the desire to stay in one place for a few years. I want to have a consistent home, I want to sleep in "my bed" and have a permanent place to just be. For awhile. I think that's exactly what I will get for two years. I will have permanence, I won't be able to leave (easily), I am getting what I wanted, in a way. So why do I have to leave? To accomplish my goals? Or am I simply accomplishing something by going to a far away place? Where does the change begin? Was it my initial decision, am I making a difference simply by telling people what I will do for the next two years? I don't know. Right now, what I want is to go to Kazakhstan and have all my wildest-idealistic dreams come true.

Single-handedly changing the world is a stretch. But maybe if enough of us are equally idealistic we can make a little change for the better? Maybe that's just stupid, but I have to try.

New camera!

My sister was in Northern Colorado this weekend so we had fun playing with my new camera.

This is me and the dog playing dead. This is Danielle and the blue swingset (neat!)



And this one is really attractive.
All in all, a good weekend. Unfortunately it was slightly marred by the reading of a really sad book, My Sister's Keeper. I never want to read again, it was so sad. Thanks a lot, Emily.

One week...

In exactly one week I will be done working at Starbucks. What will I do with myself? I am so excited that I might cry.

Since that means my pretty-neat discount ends in one week I purchased an espresso machine for my mother to play with for the next two years, and then for me to have (assuming it works) when I get back. In other news, I have been working on "Starbucks the Musical" in my head for about a week now and I'm pretty sure it is a really good idea. Why on earth hasn't it been done yet? I have two years of good thinking time, I will develop this idea further.

Placement!!

Sarah, pack your bags, you will be visiting me in Kazakhstan. We'll jump down to Dushanbe, Tajikistan and thank them personally for the Russian Tea House they gave to Boulder. (Did you know they are one of Boulder's sister cities? I didn't until recently.)

So, the unexpected (sort of) part... Instead of leaving in October or November, I am supposed to take off from Denver August 19th. I am taking this news with enthusiasm. My parents seemed kind of rattled on the phone... we're doing dinner tonight. Ha ha, I'll let you know how that plays out. I think they would have been more freaked out before if it really hit them that this is what I am doing with the next two years of my life. August kind of hit too close for them. This is good.

I am excited and a little freaked out, but mostly glad to finally have everything sorted out. Here's three years of planning, and hoping, five months of applications and interviews and phone calls all finally coming together.

Last night Sister Haley came over and she, Em and I played Trivial Pursuit with some Pink Truck. After a shakey start, I am proud to announce that I won, but mostly it was a lot of fun and I am going to miss them a lot. A lot, a lot. Emily, if you read this you need to visit me too. I'll meet you in Greece or India or something.